(Note: NMPF’s Dairy Defined podcast explores today’s dairy farms and industry using high-quality data and podcast-style interviews to explain current dairy issues and dispel myths.)

ARLINGTON, Va. – Despite a recent stretch of low prices, a better safety net for dairy producers and an improving market is making now a better time for dairy farmers, said Steve Schlangen, owner of a 60-cow farm outside Albany, MN and the chairman of Associated Milk Producers Inc.

A dairy farmer since 1986, Schlangen said that if he had to start all over again, he’d go into dairy farming “in a heartbeat.” Of the new Dairy Margin Coverage program – the new safety net for producers that went into effect this year, “to know that’s going to be here for the next five years, it just makes you start focusing again on what plans you might have down the road, because you don’t have to worry about just surviving,” Schlangen said.

To listen to the full podcast, click here. You can also find the Dairy Defined podcast on Spotify,  SoundCloud and Google Play. Broadcast outlets may use the MP3 file. Please attribute information to NMPF.

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.

Listen to the latest updates on trade and immigration policy from NMPF Senior Vice President of Membership Services and Strategic Initiatives Chris Galen on Dairy Radio Now.

Associated Milk Producers, Inc. earned the Chairman’s Plaque, winning the overall award at the 2019 National Milk Producers Federation’s Championship Cheese Contest.

Every year NMPF hosts the annual cheese contest member cooperatives.  This year 15 NMPF cooperative members submitted 237 entries, totaling 3050 pounds of cheese to be judged.  This year — with high-quality American-made cheeses from our membership — the contest celebrates and promotes the REAL® Seal.  AMPI’s winning Hand-Crafted Parmesan entry, crafted at its plant in Hoven, SD, earned a score of 99.20 in the Hard & Mold Ripened Cheese category. This cheese was judged the best cheese in the Championship round of this year’s contest.

AMPI’s Hoven plant specializes in making 22-pound wheels of Parmesan, Asiago and Romano.

Extra cheese from the contest and dairy products from the Dairy Bar were donated to the New Orleans Mission. The New Orleans Mission strategy is to RESCUE men and women from homelessness, abuse, human trafficking, and addiction, provide the tools and environment necessary for a sustainable RECOVERY, and later foster the successful RE-ENGAGEMENT back into society as a healthy and skilled individual, ready to lead a productive, purpose-driven life.

Winners in each of the 19 contest classes are as follows:

 

Mild Cheddar

First place: Tim Karr, Dairy Farmers of America, Pavilion, NY

Second place: Middlebury Team Agri-Mark, Middlebury, VT

Third place: Agri-Mark, Chateaugay, NY

 

Medium Cheddar

First place: Team 2, Tillamook County Creamery Association, Tillamook, OR

Second place: Team Cabot, Agri-Mark, Inc., Cabot, VT

Third place: Blair Cheese Floor, AMPI, Blair, WI

 

Sharp Cheddar

First place: Agri-Mark, Middlebury, VT

Second place: Cabot Team, Agri-Mark, Cabot, VT

Third place: Doug Snortheim, Foremost Farms USA, Marshfield, WI

 

Extra Sharp Cheddar

First place: Agri-Mark, Middlebury, VT

Second: Team 2, TCCA

Third place: Team 4, TCCA, Cape Meares

 

Mozzarella

First place: Jay Thomas, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Campbell, NY

Second: Heather Stalbird, Upstate Niagara Cooperative

Third place: Fran Holmes, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Campbell, NY

 

Provolone

First place: Mark Forester, Foremost Farms, Clayton, WI

Second: Team D, Foremost Farms, Appleton, WI. Smoked

Third place: Mike Breznak New Wilmington, PA

 

Mild Hard and Mold Ripened Italian

First place: AMPI, Hoven, SD. Hand Crafted Parmesan

Second: Caves of Faribault Team, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Faribault, MN. St. Pete’s Select Blue

Third place: Caves of Faribault Team, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Faribault, MN. AmaGorg

 

Natural

First place: Team 1, TCCA, Colby Jack

Second: Bill Stocker, Midwest Dairymen’s Company, Shullsburg, WI. Colby Jack Longhorn

Third: Tillamook Team 2, TCCA, Tillamook, Monterey Jack

 

Swiss

First place: Prairie Farms Dairy, Shullsburg, WI. Baby Swiss

Second place: Bruce Workman, Select Milk Producers, Inc., Monticello, WI. Sweet Swiss

Third place: Prairie Farms Dairy, Luana, IA. Swiss

 

Plain Processed American

First: AMPI, Portage, WI. Colored Slice-On-Slice

Second: Team Wohlt, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, New London, WI. Swiss American

Third place: AMPI, Portage, WI. Swiss Slice-On-Slice

 

Flavored Processed American

First place: Jorge Espinoza, Bongards’ Creameries, Norwood, MN. Peppers Slice-On-Slice

Second place: Team Wohlt, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Swiss Onion Blend

Third: AMPI, Portage, WI. Monterey Jack & American with Red Bell and Jalapeno Peppers

 

Hot or Spicy Flavor

First: Bruce Workman, Select Milk Producers, Inc., Monticello, WI. Habanero Havarti.

Second place: Ellsworth Creamery, Comstock, WI. Ghost Pepper Monterey Jack.

Third place: First District Association, Litchfield, MN. Cheddar with Red Peppers

 

Unique or Mild Flavor

First place: Bill Stocker, Midwest Dairymen’s Company, Buffalo Cheddar

Second place: Team 1, TCCA, Trask Mountain

Third: Bill Stocker, Midwest Dairymen’s, Bourbon Barrel Smoked Black Pepper Cheddar

 

Open Class

First place: Ann White, Upstate Niagara Co-op, Campbell, NY. Whole Milk Ricotta

Second: Justin Riesman, Upstate Niagara Co-op, Ricotone

Third place: Prairie Farms Dairy, Luana, IA. Cream Cheese

 

Reduced Fat

First place: Troy Kittleson, Foremost Farms, Clayton, WI

Second: Team Cabot, Agri-Mark, Cabot, VT

 

Cottage Cheese

First: Rory Hundly, Prairie Farms Dairy, Carbondale, IL

Second: Bison, Upstate Niagara Co-op, West Seneca, NY

Third place: Quincy Team, Prairie Farms Dairy, Quincy, IL. 4%

 

Reduced Fat Cottage Cheese

First place: Rory Hundly, Prairie Farms Dairy, Carbondale, IL

Second place: Prairie Farms Dairy, Quincy, IL

Third: Ryan Stetzel, Prairie Farms Dairy, Fort Wayne, IN

 

Flavored Cottage Cheese

First: Ryan Stetzel, Prairie Farms Dairy, Fort Wayne, IN. Garden Veggie

Second: Ryan Stetzel, Prairie Farms Dairy, Peach

Third place: Ryan Stetzel, Prairie Farms Dairy, Fort Wayne, IN. Pineapple

 

Natural Cheese Snack

First place: Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Ellsworth, WI. Cajun Cheddar Cheese Curds

Second place: Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Ellsworth, WI. Hickory Bacon Cheddar Cheese Curds

Third place: Cut & Wrap Team, Agri-Mark, Cabot, VT. Extra Sharp Cracker Cut

The 41 sales contracts CWT assisted member cooperatives in securing in October brings the year-to-date total export sales CWT is helping members move overseas to 100.1 million pounds. The total is made up of 45.4 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 4.6 million pounds of butter, 277,782 pounds of anhydrous milkfat (AMF), 43.8 million pounds of whole milk powder and 5.9 million pounds of cream cheese. The milk equivalent of these sales is 897.5 million pounds on a milkfat basis.

Looking at October activity specifically; 22 contracts for 4.1 million pounds of American-type cheese, one contract for 125,664 pounds of butter, 5 contracts for 1.9 million pounds of whole milk powder and 13 contracts for 892,872 pounds of cream cheese were secured by member cooperatives with CWT’s assistance. The products will be going to customers in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Central America, Oceania and South America and will be shipped to 29 customers in 11 countries during the months of October 2019 through April 2020.

Assisting CWT member cooperatives gain and maintain world market share through the Export Assistance program positively impacts all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price. It does this by expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products beyond the domestic market thereby increasing the total demand for U.S. farm milk.

The amounts of dairy products and related milk volumes reflect current contracts for delivery, not completed export volumes. CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when export and delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.

All cooperatives and all dairy farmers benefit from CWT’s activities and should add their support to this important program in 2019 and beyond. Membership forms for 2019-2021 are available at http://www.cwt.coop/membership.

NMPF has announced its support for the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 4916), a bipartisan immigration bill that advances agriculture immigration reform sponsored by Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA). NMPF worked closely with the bill’s authors and other members of Congress to develop the measure.

The legislation works to address the dairy industry’s two key priorities by providing legal status to current agricultural workers and their families and reforming the H-2A guest-worker visa program to permit dairy and other year-round agriculture sectors to participate. The efforts of Chairman Lofgren and Representative Newhouse, both longtime champions for agricultural labor reform, are greatly appreciated by dairy farmers, who cannot wait any longer for action.

“America’s dairy farmers are eager to advance and improve this legislation as it moves through the Congress,” said Mike McCloskey, dairy farmer and chairman of NMPF’s Immigration Taskforce. “As producers of a year-round product, dairy farmers face a unique labor crisis because our jobs are not seasonal or temporary. From our years of work on these issues, we know first-hand just how hard immigration reform is. But we simply cannot and will not stop working to find a solution. Dairy needs workers for our industry to sustain itself. It’s that simple, and it’s that dire.”

Jim Mulhern, NMPF President and CEO, thanked the lawmakers for putting forward this essential step for agriculture labor reform, saying the bill is a critical first step in the process of getting a measure enacted into law during this Congress.

“We have supported numerous efforts to address dairy’s acute labor needs. Passing legislation in the House is a critical step in the process.  We urge the Senate to work with us on this important issue so we can get an ag worker bill across the finish line in this Congress,” Mulhern said. “The bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act provides an important starting point for badly needed improvements to agriculture immigration policy. NMPF would like to thank Chairwoman Lofgren and Congressman Newhouse for their bipartisan leadership, and we look forward to continuing to work with them as this important legislation moves forward.”

NMPF was asked to present the current status of the long battle against plant-based food companies’ misleading and inappropriate use of dairy terminology on dairy substitutes and alternative at FDA’s Eastern Milk Seminar on Oct. 29.

The seminar was held from Oct. 28–30 in Madison, Wisconsin and was attended by several hundred state and federal milk regulators with additional representation from the dairy producing and processing community.  The three-day seminar covered a variety of topics including a review of actions taken at the 2019 National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments, pathogen control for dairy processing plants, farm inspections and a host of other topics.

NMPF’s Clay Detlefsen, began his presentation with the history of NMPF’s crusade against illegally labeled dairy substitutes, which began in the late 1970s.  After that, he shared consumer research that clearly shows that purchasers of plant-based products are clearly confused about the nutritional inferiority of those products when compared to dairy.  He then explained NMPF’s Citizen Petition and how plant-based products should be labeled and why FDA requiring plant-based food companies to follow the rules does not violate the 1^st Amendment.

The audience was interested and engaged during the presentation and afterwards, Mr. Detlefsen received numerous expressions of gratitude and well wishes for the work NMPF has engaged in on this issue over the years. State officials are clearly frustrated with FDA’s lack of enforcement of standards of identity and want FDA to take long overdue action to end the nonsense that exists in the marketplace.

Last month, NMPF celebrated the introduction of the bipartisan Responsible & Efficient Agriculture Destination (TREAD) Act by Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN) and Lloyd Smucker (R-PA).  The measure will give milk haulers more flexibility to move bulk milk from the farm to the plant by adding a new 150 air-mile exemption to the back end of a trip.

“Milk is a highly perishable commodity that can now travel a longer journey from farm to plant as the dairy sector has evolved.  Therefore, it is critical to maintain a flexible regulatory climate for milk hauling.  We thank Reps. Angie Craig and Lloyd Smucker for their bipartisan bill to increase the hours of service exemption for agriculture – this measure will provide welcome relief to dairy producers across the country,” said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation.

Dairy farmers and haulers of other ag commodities have faced added regulatory strain in recent years with the implementation of a mandate that commercial motor vehicles be equipped with electronic logging devices (ELDs) if they move commodities and other goods beyond a certain distance.  This targeted legislation will provide relief from this mandate to many milk haulers who must transport bulk milk over longer distances than previously but will still come nowhere close to exceeding the drive time limits under hours of service rules.

NMPF looks forward to working with Reps. Craig and Smucker to advance this bill as part of highway legislation that Congress may take up next year.  The bill sponsors both serve on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and are well-positioned to advance this bill in a bipartisan way.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Oct. 23 that they plan to work cooperatively with manufacturers during the first six months following the Jan. 1, 2020, compliance date for the new Nutrition Facts label requirements for manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual sales. In addition to working cooperatively, FDA won’t focus on enforcement during the first six months, giving manufacturers more time to comply. The decision comes after several manufacturers requested more time to meet the new requirements. 

Issued on May 3, 2018, the final rule includes various changes to nutrition facts panels to promote healthier food choices. These changes included: stating the number of servings in larger and bolder font; more prominently featuring calorie amounts; updating recommended daily values, changing the nutrients required to be listed as well as the actual amounts of nutrients declared; a new footnote explaining percentage daily values; and a line listing the amount of added sugar.

An EPA meeting on water-quality trading Oct. 21 received a heavy dose of dairy’s strong support for National Milk on market-based solutions to environmental challenges. NMPF regulatory chief Clay Detlefsen was joined by Steve Rowe, president and CEO of Newtrient, and Bruce Knight, principal and founder of Strategic Solutions, all testified about dairy’s support of EPA’s efforts to create a demand for water quality trading programs

National Milk has a long history of supporting water quality trading, serving on the steering committee of the National Network on Water Quality Trading that published “Building a Water Quality Trading Program: Options and Considerations” and “Breaking Down Barriers: Priority Actions for Advancing Water Quality Trading.” National Milk has also been involved with Maryland’s effort to launch a water quality trading program and Pennsylvania water-quality procurement legislation.

At the meeting, NMPF stated its strong support for EPA’s efforts to promote water quality improvements at a lower cost than traditional regulatory approaches, agreeing with EPA that the Clean Water Act allows for pollutant reductions from water quality trading to achieve compliance with regulatory requirements.

Detlefsen also said NMPF appreciated EPA for its efforts this year to update their water quality trading policy to encourage technologies and practices that reduce nonpoint source pollution.  NMPF also concurred with the six principals laid out in the 2019 Memorandum, namely:

• States, tribes and stakeholders should consider implementing water quality trading and other market-based programs on a watershed scale.
• EPA encourages the use of adaptive strategies for implementing market-based programs.
• Water quality credits and offsets may be banked for future use.
• A single project may generate credits for multiple markets.
• Financing opportunities exist to assist with deployment of nonpoint land use practices.
• Encouraging simplicity and flexibility in implementing baseline concepts

National Milk will submit written comments to more fully address the issues and questions raised in the meeting’s Federal Register notice.

NMPF submitted comments Sept. 30 to the revised voluntary sugar reduction targets from the National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative, emphasizing that while the revised sugar targets were more suitable for flavored milk and yogurt, dairy products still should not be lumped in with the other sugary products included.

The National Salt and Sugar Initiative is a partnership between local, state, and national health organizations convened by the NYC Health Department. Following the same format as earlier goals for sodium reduction, the sugar initiative will set targets and monitor sugar levels in packaged foods and beverages, which contribute the most added sugars to human diets.

In the first set of comments submitted in response to the initial draft, NMPF pointed out that it was necessary to account for lactose, the natural-occurring sugar in milk. In a positive outcome for dairy, the natural-occurring sugars were accounted for by creating an allowance that raised the target levels in this draft of sugar targets so the benchmarks are more focused on added sugars.

Other key points in NMPF’s comments included:

• Products falsely labeled as plant-based yogurt shouldn’t be included in the yogurt category, nor should they be given a natural sugar allowance.
• Plant-based beverages shouldn’t be given a natural sugar allowance.
• The varying range of added sugar found in yogurt and that the target set isn’t representative of the marketplace.

The FDA released on September 23 draft Guidance for Industry #263 (GFI #263) “Recommendations for Sponsors of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs Approved for Use in Animals to Voluntarily Bring Under Veterinary Oversight All Products That Continue to be Available Over-the-Counter.”

FDA’s intent with GFI #263 is for animal drug pharmaceutical manufacturers to voluntarily change the marketing status of the remaining approved animal drugs containing antimicrobials of human medical importance from over-the-counter (OTC) to prescription (Rx) under the oversight of licensed veterinarians. This draft guidance comes as part of the FDA’s five-year plan for supporting antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary settings as part of a strategy to address antimicrobial resistance associated with the use of antimicrobial drugs in animal agriculture.

GFI #213 was the FDA’s first step to increase oversight of antimicrobial use through voluntary industry action to change marketing status of medically important antimicrobials used in feed or drinking water for food-producing animals from OTC to VFD/Rx. This also resulted in the elimination of the use of these antimicrobials for production practices. While GFI #263 will be voluntary, NMPF anticipates that pharmaceutical manufacturers will change the marketing status of the limited number of dosage forms of medically important antimicrobials that are still available from OTC to Rx for both food-producing and companion animals.

NMPF has recognized that OTC availability of antimicrobials was going away and has made the Veterinarian Client Patient Relationship, a cornerstone of the National Dairy FARM Animal Care Program. NMPF supports the prudent and responsible use of antibiotics and will be examining the potential impact on small or geographically isolated dairy farmers who may have a lack of large animal veterinary services where they are located.

NMPF will submit comments to the docket.

NMPF participated Oct. 1 in a joint press conference with the National Pork Producers Council, the National Corn Growers Association and Iowa State University to urge the USDA to quickly spend mandatory funding included in the 2018 Farm Bill to buy enough vaccine to effectively contain and eradicate an FMD outbreak.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency announced in August initial plans to carry out new animal health activities using resources provided by the 2018 Farm Bill. Section 12101 of the law established a three-part program to comprehensively support animal disease prevention and management. The bill included funding to create two new programs: The National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (vaccine bank) and the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP). It also expanded funding opportunities for the existing National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN).

These 2018 FARM Bill programs were initially identified in 2014 as priorities for Food and Mouth Disease (FMD) preparedness by the NMPF Animal Health and Wellbeing Committee. NMPF worked with a coalition of other stakeholders to obtain new funding in the 2018 FARM Bill for FMD preparedness.

“The time to build a best-in-class FMD Vaccine Bank is now,” said Jamie Jonker, Ph.D., vice president for Sustainability & Scientific Affairs at NMPF, at the news conference. “NMPF has been active in informing our members and the dairy community of the importance of preparation, and a vaccine bank is a crucial element of protection for the entire livestock industry.”